We recommend you use a personal email address when creating an applicant user account to apply to the program. Avoid using your .edu email address as many school servers will block any email correspondence we send you. All communications are conducted via email and/or posted to the PMF website. Applicants can monitor their application status after submission.

We strongly recommend that you prepare in advance before the application launches. We suggest you prepare your resume, transcript (and/or alternative), and any supporting documentation for claiming veterans' preference, Indian preference, and/or reasonable accommodations. See additional information on transcripts and resumes below. You may need to consult with your academic institution on the process for requesting a transcript (and/or alternative).

Applicants can only submit one application and will not be able to make edits after final submission (except to personal contact information).

There is no appeal process and we do not provide assessment scores.

You are highly encouraged to apply early. The application (including the submission of required documents and completion of the on-line assessment) must be completed and submitted prior to the closing of the announcement.

During the application, applicants are asked to voluntarily answer source tracking and demographic information. These optional questions ask applicants about: (1) how they heard about the PMF Program, (2) gender, (3) ethnicity, (4) race, and (5) disability or serious health condition. Responses to these questions have no impact on your application, are optional, and completely private. Such responses help us in our marketing and outreach efforts, and the aggregate data helps us determine if our equal opportunity efforts are reaching all segments of the population.

Review the Assessment Preparation Guide. The Guide explains the on-line assessment process and contains sample questions. The Guide is posted shortly before the application launches and is removed shortly after the application closes.

When uploading documents as part of your application, please ensure your document is accessible (e.g., not password protected, does not require digital certificates), contains no scripts/macros or photos, legible, and in English.

Submitted documents are saved to a secure server. Please do not redact data. Uploading Adobe (.pdf) files is preferred.

Transcripts

As part of a complete application, all applicants must submit a transcript (and/or alternative). The submission must reflect the advanced degree used to qualify for the program. It is not necessary to submit a transcript for your undergraduate degree; however, you may submit such as an "Other" document when submitting your application documents. Any submission must be legible, in English, and not contain any scripts/macros or photos. Any submission covering transcript (and/or alternative) must contain the following:

Applicant name

College/University name

Qualifying degree program (completed or pursuing)

Date of degree conferred for recent graduates or anticipated for current graduate students

The transcript can be official or unofficial. If a transcript is unavailable or missing any of the above required elements, the applicant may submit a letter (or equivalent) from the appropriate school official/department (e.g., admissions, department head, career services, etc.) providing the information requested. The document serves as an alternative to meeting the transcript requirements if there are missing required elements. Submitting a combination of the transcript and the alternative showing the missing elements is preferred. The alternative should complement the transcript if covering missing elements. Applicants can submit their transcript under the document type called "Transcript" and the alternative under the document type called "Other", under the "Upload Documents" section of the application. Applicants are not required to ensure a Student ID# or Social Security Number appears on these documents.

If you need a mailing address for the alternative referenced above, you can use the following: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Presidential Management Fellows Program, 1900 E St, NW, Room 2469, Washington, DC 20415, or you can simply address it to "PMF Program Office" or "To Whom It May Concern" and upload as part of your application. NOTE: This address is provided in case your academic institution needs a mailing address; however, the document should not be mailed to the PMF Program Office. Applicants should either upload the alternative as part of their application or follow the fax instructions provided on the "Upload Documents" screen.

Reference to "official" or "unofficial" transcript is defined by your college/university. If unofficial, the transcript must still identify the required elements referenced above. Transcripts provided by third-party systems that some colleges and universities use may not cover all of the above required elements.

Transcripts (and/or alternatives) from foreign schools must be in English and legible for consideration. Please be sure to view your submission to ensure legibility and that your submission clearly supports your eligibility to apply based on an advanced degree and the criteria referenced above.

Applicants failing to submit a valid transcript and/or alternative showing all of the required elements will be disqualified from further consideration.

NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure their transcript (and/or alternative) meets the requirements identified above for submission. Please do not send a copy directly to the PMF Program Office or Help Desk asking if your documents fulfill the requirements.

If selected as a Finalist, some participating Federal agencies may directly request an official transcript to ensure fulfillment of advanced degree requirements and education qualifications before starting a PMF appointment.

Those Finalists still completing their advanced degree must complete the degree requirements by August 31st the following year after the application (including the completion or successful defense of any required thesis or dissertation). If the graduate student applicant is selected as a Finalist and does not meet ALL advanced degree requirements by August 31st of the following year, he/she will lose their status as a Finalist and no longer eligible to accept/start a PMF appointment.

We are unable to waive/defer this requirement. If, for example, you will not be able to successfully complete or defend a required thesis/dissertation by the August 31st deadline, you may be eligible to reapply to the PMF Program during the next application cycle.

Advanced degree is defined as a professional or graduate degree (e.g., master's, Ph.D., J.D.). Law students should identify their degree as a "professional" type of advanced degree during the application process.

The most common mistake is applicants not ensuring a degree completion date is referenced on their transcript (and/or alternative) to either show the date the degree was conferred or anticipated to be completed.

Resume

As part of a complete application, all applicants must submit a resume. The resume can be in any format (including a version from the USAJOBS' Resume Builder) or any length, but must not exceed 3MB in file size. Additional information about resumes can be found on USAJOBS.

The resume must contain the following at a minimum:

Applicant name

Contact information (address, email, phone number)

College/University name

Qualifying degree program (completed or pursuing)

Applicants should not include photos on their resumes. Your resume may be altered to remove any such photos.

Those applicants selected as Finalists will have the ability to upload an updated resume; however, the original resume associated to their application to the PMF Program cannot be deleted or altered. Only registered agency users on the PMF TMS (Talent Management System) can view a Finalists' current resume.

Letters of Recommendation

The PMF Program does not consider letters of recommendation as part of its application and assessment process. Any sent will be discarded without review.

Cover Letters and Writing Samples

The PMF Program does not request cover letters or writing samples as part of its application and assessment process. Any submissions will be discarded without review.

NOTE: If selected as a Finalist, an appointing agency may request such documents in their consideration for a PMF appointment.